OSCE holds meeting to build confidence between police and people in Kyrgyzstan's south

JALALABAD, 28 June 2005 - Building trust between law enforcement bodies and the people in southern Kyrgyzstan was the focus of a meeting today in Jalalabad, organized by the OSCE Field Office in Osh, the Jalalabad City Department of Interior Affairs and Peace Building Group, an NGO.

"Promoting dialogue and reconciliation is a crucial part of the OSCE's strategy in response to the March events in southern Kyrgyzstan," said Jerome Bouyjou, Political Officer at the OSCE Field Office in Osh.

"We have been conducting several activities with the police and the population to achieve understanding and to build mutual trust and confidence."

Representatives of law enforcement agencies, the local administration and NGOs agreed on the importance of preventing tensions of the type which arose after the recent political events and of cooperating to bring police and the people of Jalalabad closer together.

This OSCE initiative, funded by the French Government, is also providing Jalalabad city police with urgent material support such as office equipment, uniforms and typewriters to replace those that were damaged or burnt during the March unrest.